KGB Fantastic Fiction is a monthly reading series held on the third Wednesday of every month at the famous KGB Bar in Manhattan. The reading series features luminaries and up-and-comers in speculative fiction. Admission is always free.

An all around divinely inspired night with Gregory Frost reading”Touring Jesus World” followed by Andy Duncan reading an excerpt from his novel-in-progress, tentatively titled “The Man Who Rode the Mule Around the World.” The stories had overlapping themes about satire and religion — synchronicity, conspiracy, or divine intervention?

Gregory Frost

Gregory is the author of eight novels (including Shadowbridge, Lord Tophet, Fitcher’s Brides) and over fifty short stories of the fantastic. His novelette “No Others are Genuine” was a 2014 “Long Fiction” finalist for the Bram Stoker Award. His most recent stories are in Out of Tune, an anthology of ballad-stories, edited by Jonathan Maberry; and in Jet-Pack Adventures, commemorating the work of the late Dave Stevens (Rocketeer)

By now he may finally have finished his current novel project.

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Andy Duncan

Andy’s short fiction has won a Nebula Award, a Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, and three World Fantasy Awards, the most recent in 2014 for “Wakulla Springs,” a Tor.com novella co-written with Ellen Klages. Also in 2014, Andy co-taught the Science Fiction Foundation Masterclass in SF Criticism, held at the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London. This spring, he is on sabbatical from Frostburg State University in Maryland, where he is a tenured associate professor of English.

The following audio was recorded live at the KGB Bar, December 17th, 2014, with guests Steven Gould & Rajan Khanna.

Steven Gould

Steven is the author of 10 science fiction novels including Jumper, source material for the 2008 movie of the same name. His fiction has been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Compton Crook, Locus, and Prometheus awards and the recipient of the Hal Clement award for YA SF. His latest novel is Exo, fourth book in the Jumper series.

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Rajan Khanna

Rajan’s first novel, Falling Sky, was released in October. His short fiction has been published in Lightspeed Magazine, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and several anthologies. His articles and reviews have appeared at Tor.com and LitReactor.com, and his podcast narrations can be heard at Podcastle, Escape Pod, PseudoPod, Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Lightspeed.

It was an evening spent above the Earth, first in the airships above a near-future virus-ravaged landscape in Rajan Khanna’s Falling Sky, then in a solo-human spacecraft in Steven Gould’s Exo. A full house crowded the toasty bar for an excellent end to this year’s Fantastic Fiction reading series. Thank you to all our readers for this year and to all our guests and fans who keep Fantastic Fiction lively and fun. Wishing you all a happy and healthy holiday season and all the best in the new year!

Steven Gould

Steven is the author of 10 science fiction novels including Jumper, source material for the 2008 movie of the same name. His fiction has been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Compton Crook, Locus, and Prometheus awards and the recipient of the Hal Clement award for YA SF. His latest novel is Exo, fourth book in the Jumper series.

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Rajan Khanna

Rajan’s first novel, Falling Sky, was released in October. His short fiction has been published in Lightspeed Magazine, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and several anthologies. His articles and reviews have appeared at Tor.com and LitReactor.com, and his podcast narrations can be heard at Podcastle, Escape Pod, PseudoPod, Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Lightspeed.

The following audio was recorded live at the KGB Bar on November 19, 2014, with guests Nancy Kress & Jack Skillingstead.

Nancy Kress

Nancy Kress is the author of thirty-three books, including twenty-six novels, four collections of short stories, and three books on writing. Her work has won five Nebulas, two Hugos, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. Nancy’s most recent work is Yesterday’s Kin, about genetic inheritance. In addition to writing, Kress often teaches at various venues around the country and abroad; in 2008 she was the Picador visiting lecturer at the University of Leipzig.

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Jack Skillingstead

In 2001 Jack Skillingstead won Stephen King’s On Writing contest. Not long afterward Jack began selling regularly to major science fiction and fantasy markets. To date he has published more than thirty stories in various magazines, Year’s Best volumes and original anthologies. Much of his short work has been collected in Are You There and Other Stories. Jack’s novel, Life on the Preservation, was a finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award.

Nancy Kress began the evening reading from Yesterday’s Kin, her latest novel, about coy alien emissaries taking up residence in New York harbor, and the geneticist who is brought on board to help them unravel a danger that might threaten the world. Nancy was followed by Jack Skillingstead, who read “Everyone Bleeds Through” from his collection Are You There and Other Stories about a very complex and unnatural relationship. Despite the early winter chill, we were kept warm and entertained by both readers.

Nancy Kress

Nancy Kress is the author of thirty-three books, including twenty-six novels, four collections of short stories, and three books on writing. Her work has won five Nebulas, two Hugos, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. Nancy’s most recent work is Yesterday’s Kin, about genetic inheritance. In addition to writing, Kress often teaches at various venues around the country and abroad; in 2008 she was the Picador visiting lecturer at the University of Leipzig.

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Jack Skillingstead

In 2001 Jack Skillingstead won Stephen King’s On Writing contest. Not long afterward Jack began selling regularly to major science fiction and fantasy markets. To date he has published more than thirty stories in various magazines, Year’s Best volumes and original anthologies. Much of his short work has been collected in Are You There and Other Stories. Jack’s novel, Life on the Preservation, was a finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award.

The following audio was recorded live at the KGB Bar in Manhattan on October 15th, 2014, with guests Genevieve Valentine & E. Lily Yu. Due to an unfortunate technical glitch, Genevieve’s reading was not recorded. We apologize for this error.

Genevieve Valentine

Genevieve Valentine’s first novel, Mechanique, won the 2012 Crawford Award. Her second, The Girls at the Kingfisher Club, has recently been published. Her short fiction has been published in various magazines, webzines, and anthologies. Her nonfiction has been published at AV Club, NPR.org, and L.A. Review of Books.

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E. Lily Yu

E. Lily Yu received the 2012 John W Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Her stories have been finalists for the Hugo, Nebula, Sturgeon, Locus, and World Fantasy Awards, and her latest one appears in Upgraded, edited by Neil Clarke.

For the month of October and just in time for Halloween we were treated (but not tricked) this month with two scary science fiction stories from authors E. Lily Yu and Genevieve Valentine.

E. Lily Yu read “Musée de l’Âme Seule” from Neil Clarke’s Upgraded anthology about a robot and the illicit trade of robot body parts. Genevieve Valentine read the opening to her “Dream Houses,” a novella written for Capclave, where she was recently guest of honor.